Add a Healthy Argentinian Flavour to your Next BBQ!

green leaves of parsleyPhoto Credit

With Spring finally here, and the weather finally getting a little warmer, the option of BBQ’ing is back on the table! I love BBQ’ing for a bunch of reasons – there’s something about the taste of grilled food that is just amazing, the smell reminds me of summer, it’s an activity that pairs so nicely with a cold beer or glass of wine, but the number one reason I love BBQ season: I don’t know how to light a BBQ (and it’s going to stay that way), which means BBQ’ing = my husband cooks dinner 🙂

We don’t eat red meat too often as it’s hard on the digestive system, and is an inflammatory food, but we’re treating ourselves to some local, grass-fed steak this weekend from Klosters (a local butcher in Newmarket).

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In 2012, we lived in Buenos Aires for a few months. An asado (or a traditional Argentinian BBQ) is a major part of their culture, and the steak is often served with chimmichurri – a delicious blend of fresh parsley, olive oil, garlic, red wine vinegar and jalapeno. The fresh parsley is such a nice pairing with the rich steak, but the best part is the amazing health benefits of parsley:

– It recently ranked #8 on Time Magazine’s list of the 41 Superfoods (ranked by how nutrient-dense the food is per calorie)

– One of the highest foods in vitamin C: 130mg per 100g – to put this in perspective, a grapefruit has 30mg per 100g!

– Combining iron-rich foods like steak with foods high in vitamin C increases iron absorption

– It’s an amazing source of the cancer-fighting antioxidant lycopene

– It’s also a source of folic acid, vitamin A and vitamin K

Next time you reach for the blue cheese or a fatty béarnaise sauce to pair with your steak, give chimichurri a try instead – it’s healthy, easy-to-make and delicious – enjoy!

Argentinian Chimichurri
Adapted from Canadian Living

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fresh parsley, washed
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded & diced (optional)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

Method

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and serve as a dipping sauce to BBQ’d steak.

About Lauren

Welcome! I’m Lauren Follett. A couple years ago, while working in the corporate world of downtown Toronto, I decided to pursue my passion for healthy living and enrolled in the Distance Education program with The Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. I studied on my lunch breaks, after work, on the weekends, and while travelling through South America. The world of health & nutrition can be confusing. There are a lot of mixed messages out there when it comes to health: low fat, low calories, sugar-free, low-carb, gluten-free…leaving you confused, frustrated, and wondering where to start. That’s where I come in. As a Registered Nutritionist, my goal is to help you accomplish your health & wellness goals. I don’t believe in diets or quick fixes. I believe in living a healthy lifestyle, which requires you to get educated, and learn how to make healthy choices. I’m dedicated to working closely with my clients to teach & motivate them to make healthy choices, discuss healthy living strategies and create customized nutrition programs that fit with their life.

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